Hassan, New Hampshire's governor, is Ayotte's Democratic general election challenger -- but first, Ayotte has a Republican opponent in former state Sen. Jim Rubens she needs to beat in Tuesday's primary.

"I'm running to provide Republican voters with an alternative, because Kelly Ayotte and Maggie Hassan are so similar," Rubens said.

For Ayotte, this race is all about beating Hassan - there is little to no acknowledgment of Rubens. Polls show that is probably a good strategy, given that she has trailed Hassan in some polls while a majority of voters, 62 percent, are not aware of Rubens.

Asked if he can turn the race around by election day, Rubens said, "I'm not the establishment-approved candidate, but I do know that voters are saying one thing in public and are going to vote differently on Tuesday."